By Our Reporters
Desirous to see his private office staff operate better and more efficiently, President Museveni has accelerated his efforts aimed at reorganization. Reliable State House sources have revealed that recently, Museveni summoned long serving Secretary to PPS Margaret Lalam to his office. He gave her a young lady to train for the next few months. “She is here to understudy this office to understand what we do and how we work. I’m assigning her to you for induction,” sources quoted Museveni as directing Lalam who along with PPS Molly Kamukama sits very close to him in Entebbe. The Lalams and Molly are like the gatekeepers-the very last officials one (or even a correspondence) goes through before finally reaching the office where the big man sits. It turned out this young lady (names withheld) is closely related to city businessman Odrek Rwabwogo and she is being groomed to either replace Molly as PPS or Deputize her as that docket remains vacant since the days of (now Ambassador) Kintu Nyago. At some point, UPC defector Henry Mayega was considered to replace Nyago but the thing somehow didn’t materialize. The young lady being trained by Lalam is married to one of the big men in JATT. “Her coming on board a few weeks ago has created an impression that nobody will ever hold onto their job permanently because she is either going to be next PPS when Molly’s time comes or Deputy,” said a source adding that all indicators show the young lady is being prepared for a powerful role in the near future. “Mzee trusts Lalam because of her seniority and vast experience having worked here since Obote I.” Said to be in her 60s, the gracefully ageing Acholi lady has been Secretary to the different PPSs since Independence and has closely served as personal secretary to all Ugandan presidents since independence. When Obote I fell in 1971, Lalam (who was among the young people Obote started with) stayed put and refused to go to exile. She served through the Amin period and survived by keeping a low profile most of the time. After the 1980 elections, she received the Obotes back to State House and stayed on through to the Okellos after the July 1985 coup. After taking over in January 1986, Museveni NRA soldiers set out to shoot her inside the offices but Lalam (who was in the office as they came) disarmed them with her humility. “Please don’t shoot me dead because I have custody of all the things which are going to be very important to you as you move to occupy this office [State House],” she reportedly told the Museveni soldiers while raising both her arms to symbolize surrender and submission. Shocked at her guts, the soldiers asked her “what’s that mum?” She moved nearer and showed them a bunch of keys to the entire State House, President’s Office and all the smaller rooms and offices therein. “These keys are very important to have proper access to everything in this place and there is nobody else with a copy except me,” she said as she humbly handed over the keys. The soldiers briefly kept her under confinement as they sought Museveni’s view on what to do with her. “She is very useful and if she has agreed to work with us, let her stay and help us establish ourselves in that place,” Museveni reportedly said offering Lalam a job instantly. She has worked under Museveni (training and inducting all his PPSs) since that time without break. Even today she serves as Secretary to PPS Molly. She is so resourceful that even Janet Museveni called on her to help put up systems for her office as First Lady. That’s where she worked for much of the time Amelia Kyambadde was PPS but was immediately recalled to Entebbe when the laid back Mary Amajo became PPS and gaps immediately manifested. “Lalam is humble, down to earth and that’s how she survived the turbulent Nakalema period when everyone had a hard time here. When Molly became PPS, she carried Irene Mugisha Birungi to serve as her PA but retained Lalam for the technical bit,” says a State House insider adding that having served since 1960s, Lalam has had more than enough opportunity to learn from her mistakes. As Secretary to PPS, she oversees the drafting and polishing of all Presidential directives, the dispatching of cabinet reshuffle lists, the writing of confidential messages to foreign leaders and all things to do with presentation of credentials by diplomats concerned. Her strength lies in seniority, being technical and hands on. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
